


Under the Light of the Moon

by SymphonicScream



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/F, F/M, M/M, Slow Burn, Thief and Detective au, been sitting on this one a while, this is gonna be a long one folks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-14 10:27:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29915511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SymphonicScream/pseuds/SymphonicScream
Summary: Chloe Bourgeois is a detective in Paris, living her life day by day. Well, that is until a thief dressed up like a neon blue rabbit shows up on her radar.Paris has been too quiet for too long, and unluckily for Chloe, that's about to change.
Relationships: Chloé Bourgeois/Alix Kubdel, Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Comments: 8
Kudos: 19





	Under the Light of the Moon

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SorryJustAnotherPerson](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SorryJustAnotherPerson/gifts).



> There are a few mentions of some pretty heavy themes in this, so let this act as your first warning! Everything is only mentioned, not described though. If you choose to keep reading, I hope you enjoy :)

The night was silent, dark, still, a haze of thick clouds blocking out the light of the moon. The lights of the city were just enough to cast a faint glow on the midnight mist, the usual bustle of traffic dampened by the sleepy blanket of darkness. It was a perfect night,  _ the _ perfect night, the night that would kick start quite a tale.

A single figure, shrouded in the misty cover of fog, crept quietly in through a window left open, stepping carefully and softly. Each footfall was calculated perfectly, creating as little sound as possible. At the end of a dark hall, illuminated solely by the faint glow of street lamps through open blinds, sat a pristine plate. Old, antique, smuggled in and purchased from treasure traders. 

The figure shook out their arms, softly loosening the muscles to complete the next step. One hand reached down into the pouch resting on their hip, producing an unmarked envelope sealed with wax. The figure placed the envelope carefully behind the case that held the plate, and took a second to calm their excitement.

They punched through the glass case, grabbing the plate and setting off the alarm. There was a loud thud from the room on the right, the master suite, which brought a smile to the masked figure’s face as they raced back towards the window they’d crawled through. They swung up onto the roof, sparing a second to check the time on the little pocket watch they pulled out of their jacket pocket. Five minutes to get to the spot, perfect.

The figure expertly jumped across the rooftops, softly muttering the street names as they made each planned turn. The plate was still safely clutched to their chest, their grip only tightening as the sound of sirens grew across the city. The night, once quiet and calm, was ripped wide open. It was exhilarating.

The figure popped up out of a landing roll, pleased to find themself on the roof they wanted. Now all they needed was the last pawn to enter the play.

“Stop right there!” A voice boomed from the street, right on schedule. The figure leaned over the edge, and grinned down at the disgruntled detective climbing out of her car. Her blonde ponytail looked like a rat had recently made it its home, her shoes barely laced up, jacket clashing so obviously with her pants that even the figure could tell. She had probably been called in from her place nearby. “We’ve got officers surrounding the block as I speak, so just come down and accept that you’re caught!”

The figure had to laugh, empty hand gripping the edge of the roof as the detective glowered up at them. This was very enjoyable for them. “Yeah, fat chance, detective. You and your little boys in blue don’t stand a chance of catching me in this lifetime.”

The detective made to reach for the radio at her hip, which meant that sadly playtime was over. The figure had hoped for more time to rile up the little detective, but that would have to wait for another day. They held up the plate, a thrill of satisfaction running up their spine as the detective’s hand froze. 

“Looks pretty sweet, doesn’t it?” The figure teased, lazily turning it over in their hand. The detective followed the movement with her eyes, making the figure’s grin grow all the wider. Oh, she was making it too easy. “Wouldn’t it be a shame if this very important and very valuable plate just slipped out of my hands and shattered on the ground?”

The detective on the ground froze, eyes widening up at them in alarm. “You’re bluffing, that plate is worthless to you broken! You wouldn’t go through all the trouble of stealing it just to destroy it!”

“You betting on those odds?” The figure reared back their arm, plate raising with it. They relaxed their hand, the porcelain plate sliding out, hurtling towards the street below. “Whoops.”

The blonde detective shot forward, just saving the stolen antique from shattering like a cheap beer bottle. However, when she looked back up at the roof, the thief was nowhere to be seen. She let out an aggravated shout, stomping her foot into the ground in a fit of rage. She’d nearly had them, damnit. Plus, what kind of thief ran off without the loot they just stole? 

-

“Detective Bourgeois!” Chloe paused in the hallway, spinning on her heel to face one of the rookies that had been on the scene of the late night robbery last night. She’d gone right back home after the incident, cursing her morning self with early paperwork in exchange for a chance to salvage her sleep schedule. She was on her way to do said paperwork at her desk when her name had been called.

The young officer looked like he was pretending to not be completely out of breath, face flushed from running to catch up with her. Chloe raised one eyebrow as he caught his breath, passing officers not even sparing them a glance. “The- the file from last night is already waiting on your desk ma’am-”

“Yes yes, thank you.” He was stopping her for this? Ugh, Chloe did not have the time or energy to deal with this civilly. Leaving as quickly as possible was the best way to ensure she didn’t get another talk about lecturing the rookies from her Captain. “I’ll get right to that.”

The rookie’s mouth opened silently as she turned to head to her desk, his voice pulling her to a stop once more. “Wa- wait! The Captain said to tell you she wants to see you in her office as well!”

Great, just what Chloe needed, a surprise meeting with her boss. After her failure to catch the weird thief last night, all she wanted was to go home and curl up under her duvet until the end of time. Without another word to the rookie, Chloe continued her trek to her desk, her mood now much lower.

“Rough night?” Adrien Agreste greeted, offering a sympathetic smile and a cup of coffee. They’d been best friends since they were in diapers, went through the academy together, and by some miracle they wound up working in the same department. If anyone else had dared comment on the bags under her eyes, Chloe would’ve suplexed them.

She snatched the warm drink from his hands, taking a greedy gulp. He didn’t need to know that she’d already had two cups with breakfast and a cold brew on the drive in. “You can say that again. I’ll give you the details when I’m done having my ass handed to me.”

The other blond gave her a pat on the shoulder as she scooped the top folder from her stack, making the death march to the Captain’s office. The door had been left open, no doubt so that the Captain could snatch her up if she tried to escape before their talk. Not bothering to knock, Chloe strolled right in and shut the door behind her. “What do you want.”

“Good morning to you too, Chloe.” Captain Sabrina Raincomprix rolled her eyes up at her from her chair, absently pushing her glasses back up her nose. Chloe slumped into one of the black chairs in front of the desk, dropping her file on the edge of the desk. “You’re awful lucky that I know you so well, otherwise I’d feel offended by your harsh, harsh words.”

Chloe grimaced, crossing her arms as she sank down in her seat. The Captain they’d had before Sabrina’s promotion hadn’t been particularly fond of Chloe’s attitude. It was a miracle that she still had a job. “Yeah yeah, whatever. I’ve got work to do, so can we make this quick?”

“Talking about that new case of yours?” Sabrina knew her too well. “What a coincidence, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Here, one of the officers grabbed this from the scene last night.”

The Captain passed Chloe a blank envelope, pristine and unmarked. No stamp, no mailing address, no name. Flipping it over revealed a wax seal on the back, sky blue and swirling white with the image of a bunny silhouette pressed into it. The envelope was heavier than expected, pretty wide too. “No one opened it yet?”

Sabrina simply shook her head. “We photographed the seal and took a small sample of the wax just in case, but I thought you’d want the honours.”

“Thanks.” Chloe carefully tore the envelope open, sliding out the small stack of papers within. The first few pages were neatly stapled together, outlining the robbery victim’s involvement in a human trafficking ring that took victims out of the country, secret bank accounts, even an affair previously hidden from his wife and receipts of a payment to have her taken out later that week. The occasional picture was sprinkled among the pages of information, expertly taken with their subject in horrifying clarity.

The last page spoke of the plate Chloe had handed off as evidence last night, smuggled into the country illegally, and proof that it was not a copy like the victim had claimed. It was apparently the  _ original _ artwork, stolen months ago before it was bought by the victim two weeks prior.  _ Holy shit _ .

Chloe passed the documents to Sabrina, her fingers shaking lightly and the pit in her stomach from the night before back with a vengeance. There was one sheet other than the neat bundle, folded neatly. The detective carefully opened it up, reading the letter on the inside.

_ To whoever happens to find this letter, _

_ Greetings, Paris PD. Congratulations on finding my little package for you! Guess some of you can actually do your job after all, huh? You don’t know me yet, but don’t sweat it. You’ll know in due time. _

_ Enclosed in this envelope is everything I have gathered on Clement St Amant, who has gotten away with his sins for far too long. He is nothing but human scum, not that he is even deserving of the title of ‘human’. All the information you need to begin an investigation into his doings is there, so the rest is up to you. This bastard has ruined more lives than can be counted, and needs to face the music. _

_ Consider this the first of many gifts I’ll be presenting to you. It’s about time the true sludge of this city was brought to light, don’t you think?  _

_ See you again soon, _

_ Bunnyx _

Clipped to the bottom of the neatly printed letter was another photo, printed just like the ones from the other stack, only this one was of the thief themself. Well, herself, Chloe assumed from the distinctly feminine figure of this ‘Bunnyx’. 

Her wild, messy hair was a vibrant pink/red, a portion of it held back in a small ponytail by a baby blue fabric, the ends standing up like a rabbit’s ears. Her eyes were hidden behind a black and white domino mask, standing against tan skin. Her visible ear was laden with silver piercings, lips parted in that same wild grin from the night before. She wore a rather form fitting white top, a black ring around the neck, with a sleek baby blue jacket overtop. Her hands, thrown up in a mocking peace sign, were covered in white gloves. Her pants looked to be techwear, just a shade darker than the blue of her jacket and leading into a pair of stark white boots.

“Huh, would you look at that.” Sabrina mused, turning another page in the evidence bundle provided by Bunnyx. “Appears that your little thief has some other skills up those sleeves.”

It was all starting to make a little more sense. Purposely tripping the alarm, giving up the plate. The bitch had wanted to be discovered, so she could pull in media attention so they’d be almost forced to act on the information given to them. “Son of a bitch.”

“Language.” Sabrina responded automatically, taking the letter from Chloe’s hands. She skimmed it, pausing to look at the photo attached. “This changes things, alright. Let’s see…”

The Captain trailed off, glancing over at the screen of her desktop. “I’ll have to move some things around now. Move a few of Kagami’s cases to Adrien so she can look into Mr St Amant, maybe. Doubt any court would accept these as verifiable evidence, but it should be enough to get her permission to dig for herself.”

“You’re giving this to Kagami?” Chloe frowned, tapping one finger along the inside of her wrist. She didn’t have a problem with the other detective, hadn’t for years, but Kagami Tsurugi was known to be rather stubborn, to keep it short. Her nickname around the precinct wasn’t ‘ _ The Ice Queen _ ’ for nothing. “I can handle this just fine on my own, Sabrina.”

The ginger stopped typing at her keyboard, staring back at Chloe blankly. “Let me lay this all out for you, Chloe. From what we know, this Bunnyx is just getting started. You’re going to have your hands full trying to track her, where she gets her information, anticipating where she’ll strike next. This St Amant business is going to get deep and messy, and you just won’t have the time for it.”

Chloe huffed, but she knew that the Captain had a point. She was determined to bring in that stupid little bunny, and getting mixed up in investigating the claims brought against that man would get in the way of that goal. “Fine, give the case to Kagami, see if I care. Can I go now?”

“One last thing.” Sabrina leaned down to retrieve something from one of her desk drawers. She placed the stolen plate, packed into an evidence bag and marked fragile, on the desk between them. “I was going to ask you to bring this down to the Louvre to have it assessed for damage and to make sure the thief didn’t throw you a knock off of the reprint. But, the letters change things a little.”

No shit, it changes things. To think that Chloe had been seconds away from letting a priceless authentic be destroyed just hours ago. The thought shook her all the way down to her core. 

Sabrina nudged the plate in the detective’s direction, and went back to typing when she gently took it. “Since there’s a chance this is the real deal, it needs to be tested for full authenticity and stored somewhere while we get in touch with the original owners. I’ll let the director know of this slight change in plans, but I still need you to bring that to the Louvre. You up for that?”

Chloe looked down at the plate, then let her eyes drift back to the picture of the thief. She’d do whatever it took to catch her, to fix the failure she’d suffered last night. “You can count on me, Captain.”

-

When Chloe got to the museum after suffering in morning Parisian traffic, she just had to present her badge for the woman at the front desk to call for the director. The plate was safely tucked inside Chloe’s dark jacket, which felt as if it were slowly burning a whole right through her torso.

She only had to wait for a short minute for a rather tall, slim man to approach her. His short hair was dark brown and greying, as was his little moustache. Round, dorky glasses sat perched on his tan face, his suit solid grey and his scarf a dull shade of lilac. He carried a plain, wooden clipboard, and offered a hand to Chloe as he tried to smile. “You must be detective Bourgeois, I’m sorry to make you wait. I’m Dr Alim Kubdel, the Louvre’s director.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Dr Kubdel.” Chloe shook his hand, her other hand pressing against the plate to ensure it wouldn’t slip. “I trust you’ve been made aware of the recent developments?”

The man nodded, though his expression quickly soured as he glanced down at his wrist watch. “ _ Shoot _ . Oh, yes, I received your Captain’s email. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to perform the authentication myself today. There is a banquet that is being hosted in the museum later tonight, and I’m rather behind on the preparation.”

Great, so she came all this way for nothing. Chloe tried not to let her frustration show on her face, but it felt the universe was singling her out lately. Maybe this was cosmic retribution for how much of a bitch she had been as a kid. “That’s quite alright, Dr Kubdel. Do you know when you’ll be available again?”

“I’ve misspoke, my apologies.” The director chuckled lightly, confusing the blonde detective. “While I am not available to assist you, there is another staff member present today with the qualifications to do so.”

What a fucking relief. Chloe wouldn’t have been able to maintain her sanity if she had been sent driving back to the station already. “I see, thank you. When will I get to meet them?”

“She’s currently finishing up a tour with a school group in the Pharaoh exhibit, so you’ll be able to find her here.” Dr Kubdel quickly grabbed a map from the front desk, circling the wing that housed the Pharaoh before passing it to Chloe. “Show her your badge and she’ll help you out.”

The director made a quick leave once he was done explaining, wishing Chloe luck. It had been a long time since she had been in the museum, the last time back when she still attended every banquet by her father’s side, before the academy. It honestly hadn’t changed much, just a few new items on display here and there.

She found the Pharaoh exhibit rather easily. Hell, the whole wing was made up to look like the inside of a pyramid, signs everywhere pointing towards the signature room. It was rather empty, the Pharaoh room, Chloe being the only one there besides the small class of teens gathered at the foot of the sarcophagus in the centre. 

Chloe hung back at the edge of the exhibit, taking the time to get a proper look at some of the artifacts on display. She kept an eye on the class as she made her way around the room, waiting for the children to leave so she could approach their guide.

She had reached the entrance to the room again when the class broke out into a chorus of “thank you”s, watching them file out behind their teacher. She waited for the last teen to step out of the room before she made her way over to the guide. 

The woman was just taller than Chloe, only about two to three inches, she guessed. Her hair was cut pretty short, the chocolate brown locks styled in a way that managed to appear completely accidental yet completely thought out. A pair of striking blue eyes were tucked behind round glasses, a splash of freckles just beneath. She had a few dark piercings in each ear, her skin only just darker than the director’s had been. 

She was dressed in such a way that if Chloe had known her during her meaner years, she definitely would’ve called her every synonym for nerd. A walnut brown collared shirt with a black tie, under a beige sweater with a large charcoal sportcoat as the top layer. Black slacks, pressed expertly, led down to a pair of black casual oxfords.

The woman turned those blue, blue eyes on Chloe, who felt the air freeze in her throat. Oh fuck, this woman was really attractive. If Chloe hadn’t known she was gay already, she would’ve known for sure in that moment. Shit, she hoped she wasn’t blushing. Was she staring for too long? She was totally staring for too long, oh god.

The woman started making her way over to Chloe, the detective trying to regain control over her brain. “Hey there, do you need anything, Miss?”

She was speaking,  _ she was speaking _ ! Chloe had to respond, she had to say something before the pretty museum worker thought she was completely crazy. “Uhm, yeah. Yes, uhm- oh! Here,” she held up her badge, “I’m detective Chloe Bourgeois, Dr Kubdel sent me to talk to you?”

The pretty woman blinked. She then smiled at Chloe, tucking her hands into the pockets of her slacks. “Ah, yes, he did mention that earlier. Nice to meet you, Detective, you can call me Alix.”

Alix waved a hand under the name tag that was pinned to her jacket, which somehow Chloe had failed to see. It proudly displayed her name, and in a smaller font just below, ‘ _ she/her _ ’. 

“Well, Alix, it’s nice to meet you too.” Chloe fought off the warmth trying to take over her cheeks when she had to clear her throat. Damn it, there went her chances at making a good first impression. 

“The doc said you have an artifact that needs a looksee?” Alix tilted her head just so, and if they had been in one of those romance anime that Adrien kept sending her to watch, Chloe knew her eyes would’ve turned into big cartoon hearts.

_ You’re working, dumbass _ , she reminded herself. She fished the evidence bag out of her jacket, holding it out for the guide to get a good look. “At first we had been told that it was simply an official duplicate, but we got a tip that this might be the original?”

“I see…” Alix scanned the plate with her eyes for a moment, then hummed softly. “I’m going to need a few tools for this, so it looks like I’ll be giving you a special basement tour.”

She punctuated her sentence with a wink, turning to lead the detective further into the museum. Chloe was thankful she turned when she did, otherwise there would’ve been no chance of the massive blush on her cheeks going unseen.

Alix hadn’t been joking when she said Chloe would be getting a tour. She briefly spoke of some of the exhibits as they passed. Chloe couldn’t remember a word of it, too caught up in how nice the guide’s voice sounded as she spoke. They passed through an Employees Only door, and descended into the part of the museum that the public never saw.

Before Chloe knew it, she was watching the brunette get to work on the plate. Alix explained each step as she did it, but it was really in one ear and out the other. 

“Well,” Alix placed the lens she was holding down beside the plate, “I suppose congratulations are in order. This is genuinely an original. Not a remake, not a forgery.”

Fuck, that meant that Bunnyx’ info on St Amant was at least partially true. Chloe didn’t know whether it would have been better if the rabbit thief had sent them on a wild goose chase at that point. She had to have sources, good ones, and Chloe would need to look into that as well.

“Thank you for this, Alix.” Chloe nodded at the guide, following her movements as she tucked the plate back into the evidence bag. The bundle was brought over to one of the storage shelves, placed inside a previously empty box on some straw. “We’ll contact the original owner and let them know it’s been found.”

The brunette pulled off her gloves, tossing them into the trash casually. “Just glad I could help you out, detective.”

Chloe returned the soft smile directed at her, her mind racing to come up with some reason to extend her time with the woman. There had to be something she could ask Alix about that would help with the case. Then it hit her. “Say, would you happen to know anything about how art smugglers do their thing, would you?”

“It must be your lucky day, detective, because I just so happen to know a fair bit.” Alix made her way to the blonde detective, stopping just short of entering Chloe’s personal space. “You want to grab a bite to eat while we talk? My lunch break starts right about now.”

Holy shit, was she asking Chloe out on a date?! No, no, that couldn’t be it, Chloe was getting her hopes up. Yeah, Alix was just inviting her to have lunch with her in the business sense. “Oh, yes, that would be great. Let me treat you as thanks for all you’re doing for me today.”

“Nope, not happening. Lunch is on me.” Alix insisted, heading back the way they came. She glanced back to make sure the detective was following before she opened the door to the storage room. “I know a great place, too. Small and quiet, the food's delicious and the prices are totally fair. Just got to find out where they’re docked today.”

Chloe wanted to argue that she should be the one paying, but something the guide said stuck out to her. “Wait, docked?”

-

Alix’s great place was called the Liberty, a small family-run place that served up food from every corner of the Earth. The restaurant was so small that it had just one server that doubled as a hostess, and a single chef working alone in the kitchen. On top of all of that, up on a small wooden stage was live music played by one man with a laptop of backing tracks.

Oh, and did Chloe say it was a fucking boat? Because the restaurant was on a boat.

After the initial shock that the Liberty was a boat faded, lunch was really nice. The server, a tall woman named Juleka who’s goth phase was never just a phase, knew Alix by name and apparently knew the entire menu from memory. She had excellent recommendations, pointing Chloe in the direction of a fusion sandwich that ruined all other sandwiches for the detective. 

Alix explained that she’d stumbled upon the place while still drunk after a night out back in University, and had been coming back at least once a week ever since. Anarka, the chef and Juleka’s mom, even stopped by their table to ruffle Alix’s fluffy brown hair, referring to her as her “third kid”. Music man, apparently named Luka, being kid number one.

They had gotten some work done of course. Alix’s knowledge of art theft was rooted in a minor in art history, a little fascination that had yet to leave her after all those years. Chloe made sure to actually digest the content of her speech this time, scribbling notes in her scratch pad as she followed along. She could probably use that to figure out how Bunnyx had known about the plate. If she got the drop on the thief and realized her next target before she could strike, Chloe was sure she would capture her.

Alix asked her questions too. Chloe only thought it was fair, pushing down thoughts about how much their lunch felt like a date. She talked about her job, or as much as she could without leaking private information, she talked about Adrien, Sabrina, and she even told the other woman about Kagami.

Alix appeared to be just as interested in what Chloe had to say as she was saying it herself, and there was no denying how warm that made her feel. After the living hell that had been last night and that morning, her time spent with the museum guide canceled it all out completely. 

Chloe had just finished telling Alix all about the time that Adrien had gotten his head stuck in the fence at the park in high school when Juleka slid up to their table, cheque in hand. Without a word, she passed it off to Alix, turning to chat with Chloe while her companion paid for their meal. “So? Did the Liberty leave a good first impression?”

“That’s an understatement.” It had been divine, probably the best thing Chloe had eaten since her dad had invited her to dinner with him for her birthday. “This place is amazing. I’m totally spreading the word to my friends.”

Juleka chuckled, the faintest hue of pink tainting her cheeks. “I’ll let Ma know you had a good time. You done paying, Alix? Hope you left me a big tip.”

“Oh yeah, forty whole cents.” Alix grinned, passing the cheque back. 

Juleka snorted, reaching down to further mess up the brunette’s hair. “How generous of you. You’re good to go then, have a great day and all that. Come again soon, yeah?”

As they walked the short trek back to the museum where Chloe’s car was parked, Chloe decided to clear something up. “Did you really only tip forty cents?”

The brunette laughed softly, shaking her head softly. “No, that’s just a little joke we share whenever I bring someone with me, as rare as that is.”

“I thought so, you don’t seem like the type to stinge on tips.” In a moment of impulse, the detective found herself rattling out a question she hadn’t meant to share. “Hey, could I get your number?”

There was a pause, and Chloe chanced a glance at the other woman. Shit, she was staring back at her like she was crazy. Quick, come up with a reason to have asked that… “Uhm, just so that if we come across more stuff I need authenticated! It would be faster than having my Captain email your director.”

The women came to a stop beside Chloe’s car, the detective looking anywhere but at the taller woman. Then, Alix chuckled, tilting her chin down to look at Chloe through her long lashes. “You know what? Sure, you can have my number. But just saying, you didn’t need the excuse.”

Ten minutes later and Chloe was still sitting in her car, engine off, staring at that first text from the pretty museum worker.  _ You’re go for Alix ;)  _ shouldn’t make her heart spasm like it did, but Chloe ignored that train of thought. She’d just met the woman, and already Chloe could tell that she was developing feelings for her. “ _ Fuck _ .”

-

Alix yawned as she pushed open the door to her apartment, tossing her keys into the dish by the door. She was exhausted, and looking forward to collapsing onto her bed and sleeping straight through til morning. Well, she was until she caught sight of bright red on her couch. Fuck, how did he get in while she was out?

“You’re out of milk.” Nathaniel greeted her, slurping loudly as he drank milk through the reusable straw he’d given her as a gag gift that spelled ‘ _ MILF love _ ’. He looked like he’d been sitting there for a while, curled up under one of her blankets, only the black hood of his hoodie sticking out over the edge. “Also you look like shit.”

“You flatter me so.” Alix dropped down beside him, tiredly shoving his head away from the straw. “Why the fuck are you in my apartment when I wasn’t here?”

Nathaniel swatted back at her, taking another loud sip of her milk. “Left my camera here last night. Also I was out of milk and you didn’t lock your window.”

It was a miracle that her neighbour hadn’t called the cops thinking Nath was actually breaking in again. She was just glad she didn’t have to go bail him out again. His little habit of coming in through her window was usually more trouble than it was worth.

“I heard last night went great.” The milk slurping stopped. Nathaniel’s eyes bore into hers over the straw, intense and bold in the near silent apartment. 

Alix stared right back, pulling off her glasses as her face broke out into an uncontrollable grin. “You heard fucking right, dude. Flawless.”

“That’s my gal!” The red haired man abandoned his milk glass to ruffle her hair, which was still mused from her lunch with the Couffaine’s. “I didn’t doubt you for a second, so don’t believe it when Marc tells you otherwise.”

Alix extracted his hands from her hair, standing from the couch to stretch. “Sure, Nath. I’m still beat, so I’m going to go fall into a coma. Don’t forget to grab your camera, it’s on my desk. Next assignment should be under it too.”

The only response she received was a thumbs up, which was response enough for her. She shucked her jacket as she closed the door to her bedroom, slinging it on the end of her bed before following it. Fighting off sleep, she pulled her phone from the pocket of her pants as she wrestled with the unnecessary layers she wore purely for the aesthetic. She paused a moment, debating silently within herself before just saying fuck it.

She typed slowly, extra careful to avoid the spelling errors that usually littered her texts when she was tired. Or drunk, really. Satisfied, Alix sluggishly plugged her phone in after making sure her message went through.  _ Sleep well tonight, detective ;) _ , the perfect message.

Alix fell into her pillow, drifting off to sleep not long after. The last waking thoughts she had were of the locked box under her bed, holding a pile of white and baby blue, a domino mask sitting on top, and a pretty blonde detective.

**Author's Note:**

> :)
> 
> Okay so don't expect frequent updates for this I posted it on impulse and because I just wanted to upload something today :)
> 
> Thank sorryjustanotherperson for this one, and while you're at it go check out their stuff its all amazing-
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr at symphonic-scream I post dumb shit about my aus


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